[The following was slightly adapted from a sermon outline by A.W. Dicus entitled, ‘Christian Economics.’]
Each week contains 10,080 minutes. What do people do with their time?
The time spent by a fairly active church member on spiritual activities:
Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55.
“O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him” (Psalm 4:2-3).
Too many have a warped sense of priorities, especially when it comes to spiritual things. They will reject the things of God, will consider righteousness a reproach, and will refuse to follow the truth. They mock such things and ridicule those who value them.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90.
“As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).
In this psalm attributed to Moses, we are reminded of the brevity of life. We will not live forever here on the earth. Although seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time from a certain perspective, it is really a short period of time.
James writes, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The Hebrew writer notes, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 36-38.
Though God specified Bezalel, Oholiab, and other skilled workers to construct the tabernacle, the people would also be able to contribute in the work, but this would be done voluntarily (Exodus 35:21-29).
The people were to be commended in that they did not begin to do this eagerly, then slack off as the newness faded. Instead, they “continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning” (Exodus 36:3). As a result, those who were constructing the tabernacle ended up with a great surplus of supplies.
“And they said to Moses, ‘The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform.’ So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, ‘Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.’ Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more” (Exodus 36:5-6).
What a contrast between this and what we see too commonly today!
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 33-35.
Though the Sabbath law had already been given to the Israelites, the Lord provided further instructions regarding the application of the command:
“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21).
From the beginning, God has expected man to work hard (Genesis 3:19). The wise man gives this admonition: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Paul tells Christians: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23). So this instruction to the Israelites was not advocating slothfulness but that they strictly obey the commandment of God.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 4-6.
There are many people today who cannot seem to take time away from their busy schedules to worship God or assemble with the saints. If there is work to be done, that takes priority in the minds of many. Pharaoh exhibited a similar attitude when he was first told to let the Israelites leave Egypt to go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord (Exodus 5:1). He gave the following instructions to their taskmasters:
“But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words” (Exodus 5:8-9).
God’s people are certainly to be hard workers (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23). But serving the Lord must always come first (Matthew 6:33).
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Many of us find it easy to worry about things in our life. Matters that relate to our jobs, families, finances, and more can cause anxiety. But Jesus told his followers, “Do not be worried about your life” (Matthew 6:25). Sometimes this is easier said than done. But notice what Jesus said about this subject:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27).
In these verses, Jesus asked three questions. As the master teacher, He was able to ask questions in a way that was more instructive than inquisitive. Notice the three points Jesus made that will help us deal with anxiety.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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